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Mom goes viral after sharing her experience with Idaho's baffling new public library law

"My heart broke."

@carlyjdot/TikTok

Carly Anderson went viral on TikTok after sharing her experience of Idaho's new library law.

Idaho's House Bill 710, signed into effect on July 1, is the end result of years of attempts by the state’s legislature to restrict library access.

This bill requires that libraries relocate items deemed “harmful” by anyone who fills out a form to a restricted “adults-only” area. Failing to do so within 60 days puts libraries in danger of being sued for $250, as well as “actual damages and any other relief.”

For those who want to venture into the restricted area: you must be 18 or older, have an unrestricted library card… or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library.

If your skin is starting to crawl just reading this, wait until you hear from a mom who has experienced it firsthand.

In a now-viral TikTok video, Carly Anderson, a mom of three living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, shared what happened when she took her 11-year-old daughter to the library to get a copy of “Fellowship of the Ring,” after just having finished “The Hobbit.”

As they went upstairs to the adult section, they noticed the new sign with the whole spiel about needing an unrestricted library card or affidavit.

Okay, no problem: Anderson shows both her ID and her daughter's library card. Should be smooth enough sailing from here.

But that’s when the librarian stopped her.

“Why don't they let me? Because I'm holding a baby, my 1-year-old."

That’s right, even her baby (who can’t read yet!) needed a “library card or I signed an affidavit.”

"So me and Daphne just watched from the edge while Scarlett goes in to find her book. The librarian ended up helping her,” Anderson said.


@carlyjdot Coming to a library near you 😭 #library #greenscreen #scarletttok #bookban #momtok #lordoftherings #harrypotter #project2025 #librariesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Carly


It’s worth noting that Anderson made it clear that she doesn’t blame the “nice and patient” librarians for this mess, who seem just as “sick of it” as everyone else, and who seemed to “feel so bad turning kids away from going into the library."

And while, in the end, Anderson’s kid did get the book she needed, here “heart broke” and the thought of other knowledge-hungry kids who wouldn’t be so lucky.

"What about these kids that aren't coming in with parents? What about the Matildas out there that literally come to the library to just read, read, and read and then gain superpowers because they're Matilda? What about the Hermiones out there that find amazing answers because they go into the Restricted Section of the library?"

As one viewer sadly noted, “The Matildas and Hermiones won’t even know who Matilda and Hermione are because they’re not allowed into the library to get their books."

Sadder still, Anderson added in a follow-up video that “some of the smaller community libraries have been closed since July 1 because they just don't have the funding to restructure a library like this, or the funding to get sued every time someone gets offended."

Anderson then rattled off a long list of folks who will be very negatively impacted by this new law: marginalized groups, smaller communities, kids that don't get to come in with their parents, grandparents taking their grandchildren, teenagers looking for answers about eating disorders and abuse…just to name a few.


@carlyjdot Replying to @stephdykman Giving more detail on why Idaho libraries are hurting right now. Spread the word so we can change this! #parttwo #librarytiktok #booktok #bookban #project2025 #vote ♬ original sound - Carly

It’s no surprise that at only a month in, Bill 710 has already drawn passionate criticism. Just last week, a lawsuit to stop enforcement of the bill was filed on behalf of three schools, four parents, the Community Library Association and Collister United Methodist Church, under the claim that it violates first amendment rights.

As Anderson rightly puts it, "Thank you to our Idaho librarians for putting up with this nonsense." And folks were equally right to let this story be a reminder to vote in November…lest we slip into a real life Fahrenheit 451 situation.


This article originally appeared on 8.2.24

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New Zealand has made history with a law to help victims of domestic violence.

New Zealand will be the first country in the world to offer victims of domestic violence paid leave.

The new bill, which takes effect in 2019, allows those who are leaving abusive relationships 10 days off work (in addition to any paid sick time) in order to find new lodging. The new legislation also lets employees ask employers for flexible work schedules as they adjust to their new lives.

This piece of legislation was seven years in the making, and it's a huge win. In New Zealand, the rates of domestic and family violence are reportedly some of the highest in the world — according to a New Zealand Herald article from 2017, approximately "525,000 people are harmed by family violence on an annual basis."

This bill is an important way forward in creating tangible ways to support people living in violent situations.

Jan Logie, a member of New Zealand's House of Representatives and the author of the bill, emphasized that domestic violence isn't just limited to the home.

"It reaches into workplaces all over our country: stalking, constant emails, attacks, or threats in and outside of the workplace making her late or making her miss work altogether, punishing her for being late," she said during the final debate on the bill.

By mitigating the fear of economic insecurity that prevents many people from leaving violent situations, the bill sends a clear message that domestic violence is not the fault of the victim and that leaving an abusive relationship shouldn't come with negative financial repercussions.

New Zealand's win is an example of policy done right. Other countries should consider following suit.

Domestic violence is, unfortunately, a global problem. According to the World Health Organization, 30% of women worldwide have experienced physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner. And, in America, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of domestic violence in their lifetime, according to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. And as the world fights to end this phenomenon, it's imperative that victims be supported on a wide systemic level.

New Zealand is leading by example. The rest of the world should take immediate notice.

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This city might have discovered how to end homelessness. And it's sharing the secret.

Of the nearly 600,000 people who experience homelessness on any given night in the United States, more than 40,000 are veterans.

But in the city of Riverside, California, that number has dropped to something known as "functional zero."

The city has maintained functional zero — meaning the number of people experiencing homelessness is less than the monthly housing placement rate — since 2016.

Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey says that as a veteran himself, he had to try to solve this problem. "Some of my own neighbors have become homeless, and they've been erased from society and ended up dying because of homelessness," he says.

[rebelmouse-image 19476268 dam="1" original_size="465x222" caption="Photo via Chris Murphy/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo via Chris Murphy/Unsplash.

Bailey joined 77 mayors, four governors, and four county officials from across the country in committing to end veteran homelessness.

The movement is a part of former first lady Michelle Obama's program "Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness," an extension of the 2010 program Opening Doors. Opening Doors combined the use of federal resources and local leadership to help communities put a plan in place to ensure homelessness is prevented whenever possible. Or if it can't be prevented, it is a brief, and non-recurring experience.

Bailey attributes Riverside's success to the city's Housing First Policy.

"You can't end homelessness without housing," says Bailey. "Becoming homeless is a vicious cycle our neighbors without homes end up in, and the sooner we can take them out of that cycle the better, the sooner we can place them into housing, the better."

It all starts with the city's Homeless Outreach Team, who first gets to know people who are homeless and help them feel like they are part of the community.

The team assesses health care needs, learns about their family, and builds a relationship of trust with each individual until they are ready to accept help in finding housing.

The policy uses a combination of local, state, and federal resources to create enough affordable housing options to meet the amount of unsheltered persons living within city limits, along with wrap-around support services put in place to help those who battle with substance abuse and mental health issues.

Bailey says the first step is helping homeless veterans take advantage of programs that were already put in place through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This means taking additional steps that often go overlooked, such as helping veterans obtain valid IDs and convincing landlords and accept housing vouchers. Bailey says the city even offers some landlords annual stipends of up to $250 to cover the cost of any repairs housing units may need.

Photo courtesy of Lechenie Narkomanii.

And the policy seems to be working.

Since the city first identified 80 veterans who were homeless in early 2016, Riverside has consistently maintained its veteran homeless population of functional zero.

"Now that we have this model, we can take it to the rest of the population," says Bailey. "They're all human beings, and we're all neighbors here in Riverside."

Now that veteran homelessness has been greatly reduced, the city is focusing on high school and college students without homes.

Riverside is home to thousands of high school and college students, many of whom have no place to live. Bailey says the city is working with schools to determine which students are currently homeless and create housing projects in areas of need, but with the stigma attached, identifying students in need is sometimes a difficult process.

Now that a potential solution to aiding people who are homeless seems to be working in Riverside, city officials are working with other regional leaders to spread their success to neighboring communities. The Western Riverside Council of Governments is made up of 18 cities, and members of WRCOG are optimistic that what works in Riverside can work in their communities as well.

"It's important for us to work on this together," says Bailey. There's no city limits to homelessness.

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Sriracha and 30 other things you love you didn't know were made by refugees.

The Made by Refugee campaign updates products in an important way.

Did you know that Sriracha was the creation of a Vietnamese refugee named David Tran? Neither did art students Jillian Young and Kien Quan.

The Miami Ad School students were reading up on the refugee crisis and how refugees have so often been treated as unwelcome through history when they came to a realization: Refugees have probably contributed a lot to society in ways many of us don't even know about.

After stumbling upon the fascinating refugee history of Sriracha, they set out to find other refugee-created products that exist in the world around us.

David Tran's Sriracha. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

With a little research, the pair learned that not only have refugees created some iconic products, but it's almost unimaginable to think of a world without their contributions to art, literature, science, and technology.

Refugees are not "takers" or some sort of net-negative drain on whatever country takes them in. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Here are just 30 things refugees have made or done that you should know about:

German refugee(1) Albert Einstein helped shape the modern understanding of physics with his body of scientific work such as the theory of relativity and his role in developing quantum theory. Austrian-born refugee (2) Carl Djerassi helped invent the birth control pill. In 1922, (3) Alec Issigonis, fled Turkey before going on to design the iconic Mini Cooper.

#3: Carl Djerassi revolutionized family planning. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

(4) Enrico Fermi was instrumental in the development of the atomic bomb, (5) Sergey Brin co-founded Google, and (6) Max Born won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum mechanics. Millions of people around the world have read (7) Anne Frank's diary. Unfortunately, Frank and her family were turned away when they sought asylum in the U.S., just like (8) Felix Salten, the author of "Bambi," who fled Austria for Switzerland in 1936.

(9) Victor Hugo, author of works such as "Les Misérables" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," fled France. "Heart of Darkness" author (10) Joseph Conrad, 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature winner (11) Thomas Mann, and "The House of the Spirits" author (12) Isabel Allende were also refugees.

#7: Anne Frank's diary gave the world an inside look at wartime persecution. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

At 24 years old, (13) the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet. A human rights advocate, the Dalai Lama won the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize. Philosopher (14) Karl Marx fled Germany for London, philosopher and "The Open Society and Its Enemies" author (15) Karl Popper fled Austria as a child, and famed psychoanalyst (16) Sigmund Freud fled Austria to escape Nazi persecution.

#13: The Dalai Lama's reputation as a humanitarian is well-earned. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

Queen singer (17) Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar but fled with his parents to London amid a violent revolution. Composer (18) Bela Bartók sought refuge in the United States during World War II. Singer (19) K'nann was a refugee from Somalia, musician (20) Regina Spektor's family fled Russia for the United States when she was a child, and singer (21) Gloria Estafan was a Cuban refugee. Sri Lankan artist (22) M.I.A., Haitian (23) Wyclef Jean, Yugoslavian (24) Rita Ora, and Jamaican (25) Bob Marley all have histories as refugees as well.

#17: Freddie Mercury went from refugee to rock and roll legend. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

The world of politics has its own share of refugees, including South African President (26) Thabo Mbeki, U.S. Secretaries of State (27) Madeleine Albright and (28) Henry Kissinger, and Canadian politicians (29) Maryam Monsef and (30) Adrienne Louise Clarkson were all refugees before entering public service.

Is this the face of the next great scientist? Will he one day create art beloved around the world? Maybe. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

So how are you to know if a refugee is responsible for helping create something you love?

After all, it's not like every bottle of Sriracha or every Regina Spektor album comes with a handy label. Until now, that is.

Yong and Quan used their design skills to create exactly that — launching the label as part of their Made by Refugee campaign, a "product hijacking" operation. Using the orange and black refugee flag from the 2016 Olympics, the pair designed some simple stickers with a powerful message of recognition.

This easy awareness campaign has the power to change the world for the better. Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

The sticker template is available for anyone to print out and place on refugee-made products to help spread awareness on their own.

In doing so, Quan and Young hope the stickers are able to shift how people see refugees as a group.

"People cast [refugees] as beggars, unassimilated foreigners, or burdens on a society’s resources," writes Quan in an e-mail. "[Refugees] are rarely emphasized for their individual talents or potential. We wanted to challenge the stereotype by highlighting the contributions they have made to our everyday lives."

Photo via Jillian Young and Kien Quan, used with permission.

For more about the campaign, check out their Facebook page and watch the product hijacking in action in their video below:

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