
I'm in the Triangle right now and unfortunately, I think this is something I noticed with NC/the South in general. I was raised in another Southern state considered more progressive than NC, and a lot of the guys I met there were conservative and/or religious. I found things to be different when I lived in non-Southern parts of the US
Religion and politics are important because shared values are fundamental to a good relationship, and wanting an autistic baddie is valid (I say that as someone with autism). And military guys and truck drivers are on dating apps more because the circumstances of their lives make it hard to find love in person.