I really like LineageOS, but this is partly on them as well. They are the most popular ROM and they do very little to make this situation easier. With this situation I do not mean the install itself - actually there they do a lot, the documentation for officially supported devices is really good (and you often do not need TWRP anymore, the lineage recovery is cleaner). But I mean everything else you mention: Rooting, Play services/MicroG, fighting against the security theater. They even officially ban talking about this and other impending topics of doom like VoLTE on their subreddit.

I do like what the project achieved, but I don't understand in the slightest what they are thinking. If I were to speculate, to me it feels like a leftover from their failed attempt to make this a business to ban everything some corporate partner might dislike. But what purpose would that serve for the project now? Just baffling.

https://lineage.microg.org/ really seems to be the way to go, as mentioned in the other comment.