How can I [24F] keep the peace with a roommate [21F] who is on the opposite end of the spectrum politically?

TL;DR my new randomly assigned roommate is on the opposite end of the political spectrum from me and I would like to prevent it from becoming an issue since our lease runs through next summer.

We are in a student apartment and the assignment was random. We are able to get along on a surface level. However I am a left leaning gay woman from a metropolitan area and she is a conservative Christian from a small town whose fiance is in the army.

I don't want any political advice. I'm not trying to change her mind, I just want to keep the peace and avoid any discussion of politics. The issue is that she approaches me with political statements I disagree with, and I don't know how to address it. So far, I've just kept my mouth shut, not wanting to incite drama or make her think I'm trying to change her mind. She seems to have taken my lack of response as agreement, and I think this is making her feel more open about making statements I find upsetting.

How can I handle this in a mature and responsible manner? I understand why she feels differently about these issues than I do based on her life experience, even if I disagree with her. I just don't want to have it in the apartment.

Submitted August 27, 2020 at 12:46PM by PolaroidPhotoOfACat https://ift.tt/3jrl1Rv