Nintendo Zelda U - Clearly female link in image.

[2Quick]

I think the point of Link is that he is the *ahem* "link" between the player and the game world. This idea is enforced by having link never talk, because there would be a disconnect from the player and the game (rather than in some games where you play as a character and take on their traits, IMO in zelda you are the main character and act like you would in the situation) I think, for a while, the player base was primarily male, so having a male "link" to the game made sense. Now I think that the player base has grown more diverse over the years (perhaps with Legend of Zelda more than most) that a female link would perhaps make more sense. As such I have no qualms with a female link to allow for a more accurate incarnation in the game for half of the player base. It would reinforce the rhetorical value of the name "link".