Some would argue that it was...

Homophobia.



Racism.



And the reaction of the angry (afraid) American (or British) white man's threat to masculinity and alpha status...



...that lead to the stigma this still exists today. Perhaps these factors contributed even more so than the exploitation and distillation by the music industry at the time, creating a cash crop of rehashing, recycling, and retreading tired formulas for quick bucks and Billboard Hot 100 opportunities.




The Phoenix has risen.