>they were thinking of me as less of a man or pitying me This is your belief. You can't say this is what they think.  I understand you thinking they might be underestimating your stutter and while that may be true, the main issue is your insecurity with it. I'm not blaming you for that, but it's a fear we all need to deal with. Take the dates and stutter. If it goes poorly it is ok. Not trying is worse than a bad date.