You’re making the error of assuming conservatives have a status quo, or a party line, or any agenda other than being evil.

And with open source code, you have the right to copy and modify the code, and distribute your own copies of the original, or the modified code. Try that with closed source code and you’ll get a nice C&D shortly.

Most distros are the same under the hood. I’d recommend downloading different desktop environments. You can stay on Mint and keep all your files.