Her detractors say she will poison impressionable minds everywhere, possibly leading, they fear, to wanton sex and the condoning of Godless lifestyles.

On the contrary, counter her backers, she is the embodiment of love and compassion, and will teach not only tolerance, but the kind of self-respect and self-esteem that could help save millions of young lives.

About the only thing the two sides agree on is that this dame is a monster.

Probably a cute and fuzzy one, but a monster none the less.

Think Elmo and Grover. Think Muppets. Think Sesame Street.

The latest vixen to conservatives everywhere is a yet-to-be fashioned puppet whose Sesame Street creators will infect her with HIV. She is scheduled to debut first this fall in South Africa in that country’s version of the famous children’s show, called Takalani Sesame. Takalani means “be happy.” Later, Sesame Street hopes to add the regular character to other shows around the world, including here in the United States.

Details about the HIV-positive personality are still being developed, but “we know she’ll be lively, alert, friendly outgoing and HIV-positive,” said Joel Schneider, vice president of the Sesame Workshop, in announcing the character at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. “She’ll be healthy, not sickly. We want to show children that it’s okay to touch [someone with HIV], okay to hug, that a person can still be a constructive part of the community.”

The background story for how the character was infected with the virus is still being developed, but will probably be through birth or a blood transfusion, the creators said. They were careful to note that because the show is watched primarily by kids ages 3 to 7 years, there will be no mention of sex.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped political opponents who clamor to the mantra that such a serious topic is “not appropriate” for children so young.

It is a strange world indeed where puppet-makers show more leadership than politicians. But as the adage goes, truth is indeed often stranger than fiction, and in this case, the creators of a make-believe place are far more in touch with reality than the political voices opposing them. They know that for millions of children around the globe, AIDS is not something that can be isolated to the adult world. The harsh reality is that it is already a part of their world-of everyone’s world.

In South Africa, an estimated 10 percent of the population is HIV-positive, and upwards of half a million children are AIDS orphans. For the generation of AIDS babies now being born there, the average life expectancy will be less than 30. This, ironically, in a country where the current president has crippled AIDS education efforts by endorsing the desperate notion that HIV does not cause AIDS. In such a country, it may not, after all, be a wonder that it would take a child’s show to make sense of the mess made by adults.

The situation is not as dire here in the United States, of course, but still, an estimated 900,000 Americans are HIV-positive. The biggest difference, however, may be that unlike in South Africa, where HIV transmission is spread primarily through heterosexual sex, here it is still so closely associated with gay men.

No doubt that was at least part of the motivation behind the group of Republicans who, the day after the character’s announcement, sent a letter to Pat Mitchell, president of the Public Broadcasting System, on which Sesame Street airs in the United States. Not surprisingly, the letter expressed the sentiment that “only age and culturally appropriate programs air on PBS.”

It’s not the first time Sesame Street has taken on important social issues to the dismay of adults. Ever since its debut in 1969, it has sought to teach children not only the ABCs, but about life around them as well. From the beginning, it had characters and guests of a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities. In the years since, it has touched on such controversial topics as divorce and death.

Still, this is likely to be the most challenging character-and social message-yet. A lot of questions remain that even the people at Sesame Street probably can’t yet answer: How will other Muppets react to her? Will they show discrimination? Will the Muppet be on the powerful anti-HIV medicines, drugs that are not available to people in places like South Africa? If the character starts off as healthy, will her disease ever progress? Will she go to the doctor? Will she go to the hospital? Will she ever get sick, and maybe even die?

These are tough questions, ones that Sesame Street can and will grapple with in time. But the brave people at Sesame Street know that just because it’s a difficult topic doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be tackled.

Our politicians could learn a thing or two from a kid’s show.