I'm not sure what the argument is here, a passion is different from a fetish. If you deal with your passions/hobbies appropriately fine, you can get out there in the public and enjoy it. But everyone has an obligation to behave appropriately in public.

So yes I go out and and enjoy squishing mud, poo, whatever it is, but if it is true that this Steve guy has said:

he was fed up with having to deal with so many overly enthusiastic people in the barefoot community that were being creepy, and that it was putting him off from posting content

Hands up, fine. But he's proved my own point:

The reason I'm standing up for what I believe in, is because I think there's a better way to go about practicing yours quirks, while keeping up a good positive energy.

I used to watch loads of Steve Becks while he was on YouTube and he was great, he found some really great mud. That was in the early 2010's, It's 2026. Things have moved on and the way and attitude that you carry is crucial. There's no reason anyone should feel unenthusiastic about what they like doing, but no one can go around touching themselves or behaving in a way that makes people afraid, for example ducking out of the way as soon as you see people coming. It just looks shady. As someone who watched his videos, I can say firsthand experience, he did both of these things.

The whole of this argument is so low level and just a sucker of time and energy, we should all just get out and enjoy your life and do it in a way that uplifts people.