When I have read pieces of fan fiction, whether they be alternative, general, or uber, I have drawn conclusions about the author. It is hard not to. Writing fiction can be a deeply personal venture and most authors have a tendency to put much of their own values, philosophies, and attitudes into their writing.
Some stories contain events that speak to the author.
Others contain characters that may be drawn from people the author has met. I like to think that during the reading of a piece of fiction the reader connects, in some small way, with the writer. I have no idea how many men are writing Xena fan fiction. I can make a guess based on names, but these days there are many more bards than there were three or four years ago when Xena stories started appearing. There are too many for one person to track easily.