AIDS is taking a terrible toll among the poor and minorities. The strategies against the disease need to include education, discussion and compassion.

Silence is a luxury our poor and minority communities can no longer afford. Denial has become too costly when it comes to HIV and AIDS.

Consider the cost: A study of six large cities by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 30 percent of gay black men in their 20s infected with HIV. Compare that to a 7 percent infection rate among white gay men. The survey, conducted between 1998 and 2000, represents a rate of HIV infection that has more than doubled since a similar, four-year study began in 1994.

"The misconception that this is a disease that only affects white men lets people compartmentalize and say, "Well, I'm not one of them so it doesn't affect me,' " according to James Sykes of the Tampa AIDS Coalition. "But it's affecting everyone, including women, and where women are involved that affects children."

Compared to white women, black women are 20 times more likely to contract AIDS. Black people of all sexual orientations account for slightly more than half the new AIDS cases reported annually. AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death for African-Americans ages 25 to 44. In Tampa Bay, Sykes said his group saw the percentage of people testing positive for AIDS triple in just the last year.

This is the outline of an epidemic, but the tools to fight it include an outpouring of discussion, education, compassion and support from every pulpit and kitchen table, from every locker room and college campus. Because the disease has social, cultural and economic contours, so, too, must the strategies against it.

Until we can talk truthfully about the risks confronting people in our families and neighborhoods, whether straight, gay or lesbian -- without being judgmental -- we will continue to suffer from premature and tragic loss of life. And although minority communities are sometimes among the most conservative on sexual matters, it is becoming irresponsible not to embrace comprehensive sex education that teaches disease prevention strategies.

Fighting AIDS will require replacing homophobia with support systems for gay and lesbian people. Facing the double stigma of homosexuality and AIDS in many minority communities, some men who have sex with men also maintain relationships with women, putting both sets of partners at risk. More openness and acceptance can lead to more honesty among all sexual partners. Such a shift can give everyone the tools to make better decisions about their health.

Talking frankly will also help dispel myths surrounding AIDS that further isolate its victims. And we must normalize regular testing for HIV. Because the poor and people of color often lack access to adequate health care, they usually are not tested until the late stages of the disease, when symptoms appear. Thus, their illnesses are harder to treat and they unknowingly spread, rather than manage, their disease.

Churches should contact Balm in Gilead, a New York nonprofit group that helps faith communities provide HIV/AIDS education, prevention and compassionate care. Florida's health departments offer confidential AIDS testing (identifying information is provided only to health professionals) while private groups offer anonymous tests (only a number is attached to the result). Call the People Of Color AIDS coalition at (727) 822-2437 or Tampa AIDS Network at (813) 914-8888. More information is available at the National AIDS hotline, (800) 342-2437. With such a wealth of information and dissemination vehicles available, silence, fear and shame remain the most powerful accomplices to this deadly disease.

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