You like Daniel Abraham, IIRC? Have you tried the Expanse books (which he co-wrote as James S.A. Corey)? They are maybe more traditional in that they don't try to reinvent space opera or its tropes, but they are so much fun, and the authors take on race and gender I think aligns with your own. Especially in Book 2, where one of the viewpoint characters is a female space marine, and the other is a 70 year-old Indian woman who is the U.N. Assistant Undersecretary and is probably my favorite character in the whole series.
You'll also like Jim Holden, the central protagonist just fine, as he exudes the best Kirk-ish qualities.
Other than that, not sure I have anything else here to add...except my obligatory suggestion of Ancillary Justice, which you may have already read?