In any fish out of water story, I am wary of the author's outside insights about society. Sometimes it's because I don't agree with the commentary, and sometimes it's because the commentary seems out of place for the story. In this case, having Ethan encounter both homophobia and sexism toward women is a decent commentary on our culture, but those things also feel out of place on a space station in the future. I'd hope that if we managed to colonize a few planets and travel interstellar space, we could also overcome homophobia and fat shaming. It was a little jarring for me, but this book was published in 1986, so I can give it some slack in that area, especially with the comparative novelty of a gay male main character. 
 The story itself was fun, and I liked the well thought-out aspects of how this particular space station runs and maintains itself. I'm also relieved that Ethan remains gay even after being presented with alternatives.