Polish Foundation GrowSPACE Calls for Year-Round Support for LGBT Students
On October 30, 2026, Polish foundation GrowSPACE called for support for LGBT students to become a permanent part of school life. In a press release published on PAP MediaRoom, it linked the appeal to the tenth anniversary of Rainbow Friday, known in Polish as Tęczowy Piątek.
The annual show of solidarity with LGBT young people takes place on the last Friday in October. According to GrowSPACE’s description, students choose local activities such as posters, classroom discussions and rainbow clothing. The foundation says it does not keep a single register of participating schools.
To support its position, GrowSPACE cited the 2026 LGBT-Friendly Schools Ranking. According to the results published on ngo.pl, the anonymous survey involved more than 15,000 secondary school students. Among respondents, 29% could not name a single adult at their school whom they could trust; around half were unsure whether every student could feel safe there. These are the survey participants’ assessments.
GrowSPACE also proposes ten Open School Standards, including respectful communication, responding to bullying and clear ways to seek help. It says the slogan “Rainbow Friday Is Every Day” reflects the need for daily work on the school environment and trust in adults.
Legal institute Ordo Iuris criticizes the campaign. In an October 27 article, it describes the initiative as promoting particular views on gender and sexuality and argues that this affects parents’ right to raise children according to their beliefs. The institute insists that parents’ councils be involved in approving outside organizations’ activities in schools.
Education coalition KROPS, which campaigns to preserve Poland’s school system, proposed an alternative Noble Friday for October 30. Its appeal named nobility, purity and fidelity as its values.
Polish organization Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) launched Rainbow Friday in 2016. As it recalled on the campaign’s tenth anniversary, GrowSPACE took over organizing it in 2023. The foundation runs youth projects involving education and equal access to development opportunities.
