That speaks to your benevolent character, and there's nothing wrong with offering to pay -- if that's what you personally enjoy doing.

My issue is the broader social expectation that gets set for all men. I'm talking about the general default advice where younger men are told to "suck it up" and that paying for the date is automatically "part of being a man."

It can be the precursor for a very toxic relationship (if the relationship ends up being long-term).

Obviously, gay male couples and lesbian couples are categorically excluded from this entire conversation...which just renders our (same-sex) relationships all the more invisible or marginalized.