The applicants made it clear the space wouldn’t be just for LGBTQ+ students. It would be for anyone who needs to “just breathe for a second,” said one of the students who confronted the adults Nov. 14.

The grant asks for just one thing — that they identify the sponsors, something that every grant does, one school board member reminded the room. In this case, it would be with one simple phrase anywhere in the space: “It Gets Better.”