Yes, Ed's female. In the episode where we meet her father, he calls her Francois (dubbed version subtitle, not sure what he says in the original Japanese).

I've been joking about cosplaying her if I acquire a wig (karaksindru and friends plan on doing Bebop characters at Nan Desu Kon this year), but I'd have to find a way to acutally minimize my cleavage to do that. Heh.