I've never cared what gender my character is, as long as the game is a good one.
Is Tomb Raider somehow a bad game (Well, set of games!) because Lara Croft is female? It would be a very unusual gamer who thought so, wouldn't it? Other than Mario and Sonic, she is probably the most recognisable game character in the world, and that didn't happen because her games don't sell well. They do.
Speaking as a guy myself, I'd like to see more lead female characters in games (And definitely more Cate Archer! Seriously, HOW good are the No-one Lives Forever games?). Not just because it would encourage more female gamers, but also because I like variety in the games I play. I like to become absorbed in a character's story in the same way I do when I read a book. If the character is believable and their story interesting, isn't that what counts?
One of the greatest things gaming does is involve the gamer deeply in other people's stories, as we will the leads on to success and (Hopefully) help them achieve it. By having games with male leads and other games with female leads, how much wider and deeper is the potential for all those stories?