I'm going to only use an alternate gendered persona online
Are you preventing people from getting to know you by using an alternate gendered persona online?
Guess I will have to meet people in person to show them the difference.
While you can be whoever you want online, people will feel betrayed when they find out you lied about who you were. You might lose all your friends.
I do not think it is that serious. People will not care that much.
Pretending to be someone you are not will only lead to people feeling betrayed once they discover the real you. It's best to be yourself in the begining so you don't risk losing friends later.