Convention for safety: Male pins on any electrical item, of any voltage, go on the cold side. You never want anything hot "sticking out". If the connector male pins are shrouded somehow, (as in: protected from short or shock), it would be OK.
The WeatherPack style male pins are pretty well protected.
As you know, in the home, the plug (male) is on the cold side.
For your discussion with your buddy: In the connector world, the gender of a connector is determined by the shell, not by the contact.
