Yes. It's fine. Your point is well made, & grammatically impeccable.

Still, I'm compelled to ask: have you really not heard the term "male" used as a noun in ways similar to "female"? I'm honestly surprised, because I've heard or read quite a bit. And yes, there's usually at least a mildly negative connotation involved.

And, of coure, the one does not justify the other.