If sci-fi is a metaphor for society, then where are the gays?

So. In a column titled The "The New Sci-Fi", the Guardian's Gareth McLean looks at the current crop of politically aware science fiction and fantasy on TV, with a long look at Battlestar Galatcia, Doctor Who, Lost and Heroes. As McLean notes, our current crop of sci-fi isn't about the marvels of technology, but about finding allegorical ways to talk about who we are now:

This is science fiction for the 21st century. What's more, it's sci-fi about the 21st century. Fans of the genre have long known that quality sci-fi and its sister genre fantasy hold up a mirror to the times in which they were created, but never before have the TV shows involved seemed so resonant or indeed so influential. Science fiction has never been more now, fantasy never more real.

That got me thinking how strange it is that there has been so little gay content in these "new sci-fi" shows. On Battlestar Galactica, we saw gender roles subverted from the very beginning with characters like Kara "Starbuck" Thrace and President Laura Roslyn. However, it wasn't until after a mini-series and three seasons aired before the show had any queer characters -- and in this case, we're looking into the past to see this relationship, as both characters are dead in the series' present.

Later in the article, McLean calls Lost's multi-ethnic cast a "metaphor-for-America" which might be an apt way to see the drama, except the metaphor apparently lacks any LGBT representatives. While Doctor Who may have given us the omni-sexual Jack Harkness, they decided not to follow through when a script called for a gay-couple, leaving the relationship only as hints.

Science fiction is a genre that can really grab the attention of gay fans. A common theme to sci-fi is characters who are separated from their families by circumstances and form a family with those who share their struggle, a theme that resonates with LGBT audiences. That dynamic can be found in outcasts from society like The X-Men, the Doctor's companion or the last survivors of humanity seeking earth. While science fiction has matured in recent time and has done a better job talking with its audience about who we are as a society, LGBT people don't seem to be a full part of that dialog.

Any sci-fi fans out there care to weigh in?