IT can be easy to be cynical about the use of rainbow colours at this time of year.

No doubt the New Journal will once again be called “woke” by some for our edition today, with its special masthead and dedicated eight pages to mark LGBT+ History Month.
It never bothers us. So often being called woke, actually just means you care. And the events and efforts of the next few weeks is an endeavour we should all care about.

It’s a chance to celebrate the progress that has been made, while also understanding how a mountain of challenges still needs conquering.

We still hear stories of the prejudice that the LGBT+ community face, even in an area like Camden which is normally celebrated for its inclusiveness and diversity.

This is a borough where we might assume everybody feels welcome, but it’s not that long ago that two women were beaten on a bus in a homophobic attack in West Hampstead.

There were determined words shared after that attack , but this is not an issue that we can only talk about after horrific events.

Not only for a history month, either, but this is a good start and we are proud to swing our support behind it.

Our thanks go to everybody who has helped put today’s issue together, and to the sponsors who have enabled us to clear pages of regular advertising to share many more features.