Funny thing really, I saw very little gamers objecting to same-sex relationships when it was girl-on-girl action in the previous games.
And yes, Asari are females. It says so in their ingame codex entry, specifically stating they are sexually female. Sure, Liara says her race makes no differences between male and female. But is it any surprise that a mono-gendered has no real concept of gender divides? Liara also says she is not a woman. Of course not, because woman is the word for a human female, which Liara isn't. As a scientist, she is very likely to make such distinctions.
And yes, Asari are females. It says so in their ingame codex entry, specifically stating they are sexually female. Sure, Liara says her race makes no differences between male and female. But is it any surprise that a mono-gendered has no real concept of gender divides? Liara also says she is not a woman. Of course not, because woman is the word for a human female, which Liara isn't. As a scientist, she is very likely to make such distinctions.