Reb Doniel, it really doesn’t matter whether it is a Torah mitzvah, Rabbinic mitzvah, or minhag. A universally observed minhag is binding. There is only one, maybe two self-described Orthodox shuls without a mechitza (one of them recently switched affiliation to Conservative). So it’s universal. Not a single major posek has approved mixed-seating. It’s just part of what it means be Orthodox today (like wearing a kippah — which according to some authorities, like the Gra, is “just” minhag).
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