As you choose your "who do you desire" on character creation why not choose sexual preference also? That seems pretty representitive to me.
The way you play your character in the game will reflect your character's sexual preference and gender identity more than a strict tick box at the start of the game ever could. All they need to do is implement the romances in a more natural way, progressing over time as a result of Tav's dialogue choices. Give us options to state preferences *in the moment* as the characters evolve, rather than shoehorning your character into a certain sexual role before the game has even begun. Let us flirt with non-romanceable characters on the fly to demonstrate our sexual preferences before they even matter.
Representation isn't just "I'm here on the screen" - it's about how
meaningful that aspect of the character's identity is portrayed. If it doesn't have nuance and depth, if it doesn't evoke at least some sentiment of that community's real life experiences, then that community isn't being represented at all beyond shallow stereotypes and vague references.
