Was townes gay in the queens gambit

Is D. L. Townes gay? Some 'The Queen's Gambit' viewers claim that the devilishly handsome chess player and Beth Harmon were positively shippable.

The most obvious reason that Townes and Elizabeth don’t sleep together in The Queen’s Gambit is the implication that Townes is gay. The closest they come to becoming lovers is in "Doubled Pawns," The Queen's Gambit episode 3.