Banker & Tradesman does not often comment on social issues. As a trade publication, society’s struggles are usually on the periphery of our coverage areas. Politics and politicians affect our readers’ livelihoods, but the industries will survive no matter who is president, governor or mayor.

What happened in Orlando last weekend has shaken our country. Explanations and revelations continue to pour in as the media plumbs the depths of this terrible crime and oh, there is plenty of blame to share.

In response the world lit up. Cities and town across the nation have flown flags at half-staff and lit up their landmarks in a rainbow of hues – including here in Boston. Around the world some of the most recognizable edifices glowed, rainbow and pink, casting soft light on mourners who stood in solidarity with the United States.

What makes this shooting different from all that have come before? Mass shootings have become so common, they have their own shorthand: Columbine; Sandy Hook; Virginia Tech; San Bernardino; and now, Orlando.

So far there is no one clear cause, no one clear source of the shooter’s rage. If someone tried to tick every flashpoint in the American citizenry, they couldn’t have checked more boxes. Debates raged this week over gun control, mental health care, racism, religion, homophobia and terrorism. (All that’s missing is abortion.)

Thus does the greatest problem dissolve in the details: “Why” matters less than “how.” How did this happen? And how can we as a nation prevent these terrible, terrible tragedies from ever again occurring?

It would be disingenuous, and a disservice to the victims, to claim they were not targeted because of who they were and where they were. Pulse was a gay club. The people on the dance floor and at the bar were there because gay clubs have historically been a safe space in a world that viewed them with distrust, suspicion or outright hatred. It was a refuge from the violence that often accompanies such hate.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LBGTQ) community live and work across this great nation, and particularly here in liberal Massachusetts, the first in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. Friends and neighbors; parents and children; politicians and peers. Bankers. Attorneys. Realtors. Developers.

So while Banker & Tradesman does not often comment on social issues, this is not a social issue. This is great tragedy that affects us all. We would be remiss in not saying simply this: we stand with the victims in Orlando. We stand with our LGBTQ readers and their families. We stand with all of you.

And we implore the nation to stand with you as well; to recognize the human worth and dignity of each of its citizens, to hold onto empathy, to remember that love wins – and to make sure that something like this never, ever happens again. No matter the reason, no matter the cause.