Well, oxidation is an issue. During active fermentation CO2 is being produced and, as your mentioned, being more dense than air it sits nicely over the top of the beer preventing oxygen from getting to it. When you move to secondary, fermentation is presumably done and you are presumably going to keep the beer in there for a while (otherwise, why go to secondary?). If so, the oxygen levels in the headspace will eventually reach an equilibrium with the ambient air. Limiting the headspace - or more appropriately, the surface area of the beer in contact with the headspace - will limit oxidation.
Now, if you keep the beer in secondary for only a short while, oxidation will not be an issue as there will not be enough time for the oxygen levels in the headspace to reach equilibrium. And I see little reason to move a beer to secondary for only a short while.