I don't know if they do or not. I don't think that should stop or encourage somebody to make a character a specific gender just for this reason.
I just can't sympathize with the idea of focusing on something a character cannot control. I feel the exact same about gay characters, where apparently I get afforded more credibility on the issue just because I'm gay as well (Which I also think is stupid but what can you do. I think I can sympathize with a straight female character as a gay man or any other combination, but apparently the talking point is that you just can't appareciate it as much unless you are that specific thing). I've always found stories where the focus is on a character's motivations or the like are far more interesting than ones where it revolves around "I'm a woman" or "I'm a gay."