WARSAW — Schools in Poland celebrated "Rainbow Friday" for the first time so that students, regardless of their sexual orientation, feel accepted and respected. But in the conservative Catholic country, leaders of the governing Law and Justice party are protesting against the celebration, and are urging parents to sign declarations against it.

Campaign Against Homophobia, an advocacy group, had invited teachers to participate in "Rainbow Friday" after many school officials inquired how they could counter discrimination in classrooms and support LGBT students.

School officials said that violence, including verbal abuse, has had tragic consequences as seen in the case of 14-year-old Dominik who hanged himself after he was called a derogatory term for gay.

Although many lawmakers are opposed to the celebration, 75 schools from around the country are participating. The Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture, an independent organization, is planning to sue these schools.

The right-wing and Catholic media are saying that ''in the name of public tolerance, kids are being subjected to homosexual propaganda."

The Ordo Iuris Institute, which is also in favor of a blanket ban on abortion, has prepared a declaration for parents who do not want their children to take part in any festivities in school that concern sexual identity.