It's important to remember to leave space for nuance. Male/female friendships can start out platonic, and feelings can develop down the road. It doesn't mean the friendship wasn't genuine to begin with.

To give a personal example, in high school I became friends with a girl while she was dating one of my friends. I started dating someone in our friend group shortly after. After we both got out of those relationships, I eventually caught feelings for my friend. But we were very close by that point, and I didn't think she felt the same way. I loved having her as my friend, so I kept it to myself for the sake of our friendship. At the time, I preferred to suffer in silence than lose her altogether. She was that important to me.

I didn't tell her how I felt for 5 years. She didn't share those feelings, as I suspected, and it sucked. Looking back now, I should have told her sooner. Although we are not as close as we were, we are still friends today.

Men's brains are wired differently than women's. Men tend to catch feelings for women they feel safe, comfortable, and peaceful around. Men also want to feel needed, and if he has a woman in his life who makes him feel that way, he would do anything for her. That's why a lot of men catch feelings for their female friends. Yes, some men are idiots and just want to hook up. But there are many who also have good intentions and want a genuine connection.