The “infamous” Rhode Island state senator who posted a video of her at the beach twerking while doing a handstand on TikTok had her account suspended on Tuesday due to the backlash she received over the eight-second video. TikTok restored Sen. Tiara Mack’s account the following day.

Tuesday, the viral 28-year-old Democrat posted on Twitter a screenshot of her TikTok account with a popup message informing her that her account was banned.

In the viral July 4 video, Mack stood on her head, twerked, and encouraged people to vote for her.

@mackdistrict6a promised senator thirst trap at Block Island 😈♬ original sound – Senator Tiara Mack

Notwithstanding the backlash over her unique campaign video, Sen. Mack has made 

it clear that she’s impenitent over celebratory twerk. In an interview with WPRI’s Ted Nesi, the district six senator discussed how she decided to use her viral video and the turmoil to bring awareness to the causes she’s passionate about.

“I didn’t really expect this to take off globally, and I did not expect this to become like a meme sensation,” Mack said. “But I’m glad it’s sparked a lot of important conversations, and it’s sparked a lot of important conversations, and it’s been able to uplift a lot of the causes that I care about.”

She added, “I’ve struggled with the idea that in order to be respected, I have to be fully clothed and buttoned up, and I have to be performing in a way that is inauthentic to myself.”

On Twitter, Mack used #TwerkFor to raise awareness of issues like housing, trans rights, Black Girl Magic, intersex justice, and the Black wealth gap.

On top of the twerking video, Mack has been seen as controversial due to her pushing for schools to educate grades six through twelve in “family life or sex education” in Rhode Island. She believes the sex curriculum should focus on abstinence, preventative measures for pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual violence.

She added that the sex course should be “appropriate for students of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and shall affirmatively recognize pleasure-based sexual relationships, different sexual orientations and be inclusive of the same-sex relationships in discussions and examples.”

While Mack is using her twerking mishap to raise awareness, the Rhode Island Republican Party is using her popularity in the media to collect donations.

In a July 8 tweet, Mack implied that she was receiving death threats for her video and told her tormentors that the video wasn’t for them.

Mack has been a Rhode Island State Senator, representing District six since Jan. 5, 2021, and she’s seeking re-election after her term ends on Jan. 3, 2023. The upcoming election will take place on Nov. 8, 2022.