Is my character gay? Does it matter?

Cmdr. Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian) in Babylon 5

So, I'm working my way through my new novel, Starship 4. FWIW, I'm about 16,000 words in and things are really starting to take shape. One of the things taking shape is the personality of the novel's female lead, Boz. The moniker, by the way, has been shamelessly stolen from Charles Dickens, who used it as a pen name back in the day. But I digress. Boz is the cousin of the the novel's protagonist, Ravi MacLeod. She is outgoing, charming, and utterly reckless. She may also be gay. In my own mind, to be perfectly honest, she is gay. So far as I can tell, Boz's sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with the story I'm trying to tell here. And yet, there it is, firmly planted in my mind every time I write her: "Boz is gay." I'm not gay myself, I have no particular insight into what being gay is like, but I am creating a character that is telling me in no uncertain terms that she's gay.

The question that presents itself is this: what, if anything, am I going to do about it? She is a fifth generation crewman on vessel that's been traveling through interstellar space for 132 years. But the society that's evolved out there wouldn't have any particular concern about sexual orientation - at least I don't think so. Maybe in a different set of circumstances, where test-tube babies were an impossibility, a multi-generation starship might have very strong taboos against homosexuality, but that doesn't seem very likely in the world of Starship 4. So, if her sexual orientation is unremarkable, is there any point in bringing it out? On the other hand, it is something of note in the "real" world. Is there some merit in letting people know? On the third hand (this is sci-fi!), if you go out of your way to let people know, aren't you just pandering?

I recall reading somewhere that JK Rowling believed Albus Dumbledore (of Harry Potter fame) was gay, although it never made it into the books. And Commander Susan Ivanova of the late, great Babylon 5 TV show might have been gay, although it was never fully resolved. Presumably, JK Rowling took the view Dumbledore's backstory didn't advance the plot, while Babylon 5's writers didn't think their viewers and/or network could handle it. As I sit here, I'm confident my beloved readers could handle pretty much anything I throw at them, which just leaves the issue of whether it has any place in the story I'm telling.

You know what? I think I'll let Boz decide for herself. I'll let you know how it turns out!