I think part of the problem in the US is the general attitude towards sex. It's some sort of monstrous bastard child born from Puritanism and Feminism. The moral panic around 'sexual harrasment' is a good example. The completely disproportionate reaction accusations with ANY kind of sexual content get (compare: rapists and murderers) makes then a powerful weapon, or at least makes it rational to fear them as much as people seem to.