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Who is Tiara Mack? Rhode Island senator slammed for TWERKING upside down in TikTok video

In the viral video, titled ‘A promised senator thirst trap at Block Island,’ she can be seen asking constituents to vote for her

Rhode Island State Senator Tiara Mack posted a video of her twerking on a beach on TikTok on July 4. In the viral video, titled ‘A promised senator thirst trap at Block Island,’ she can be seen asking constituents to vote for her.

The eight-second video shows the senator, a Democrat representing District 6 in Rhode Island, wearing a colorful thong and performing a headstand while twerking and repeatedly saying, "a**" to the camera. At the end of the video, the 28-year-old Tiara smiles when she signs off by saying, “vote for Senator Mack.” The video was, obviously, not an official campaign video. However, it didn't matter to the conservatives on social media who criticized her for uploading such a video. Republican politician Lavern Spicer tagged the video as disgraceful. She said, “@MackDistrict6 just disgraced herself and disgraced every Black woman running for public office." To which Senator Mack replied, "Right back at ya girl."

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Haters didn't stop

The video received backlash from people upset by the senator's behavior and continued bashing her. One of them said, "Remember when elected representatives used to carry themselves with class and dignity? What is this crap?" Another wrote while shamming her, "If you're gonna twerk in a thong for your constituents (and I'm not saying she should) at least make sure your esthetician waxes your whole leg bush!"

While many stepped in to support her. A user tweeted by saying, "You just can’t stand to see a woman of color happy in her sexuality, can you?????" Other individual said, "I really don’t see why her twerking means she can’t do her job - oh no, an attractive sexually confident woman! Did everyone’s penis fall off? This is way better than this behaviour." Another user expressed, "Idk, part of me is like “girl wth..” and part of me is like “hmm… maybe this is good ” Our longstanding idea of what a gov official looks like… idk I think I would thoroughly enjoy officials that work to genuinely* improve communty while also being their authentic* human selves."

Senator responds to the backlash

The trolling didn’t seem to hit the senator who initially said, "Twerking upside down really makes the conservative, unhinged internet accounts pop off on a Monday." However, she questioned why her twerking on her day off was the news versus any other significant moment in her short career in the Rhode Island legislature. "Can the media cover any policy wins had by the youngest Black state senator in Rhode Island?” she tweeted. She continued by saying, "As a Black, queer woman you all should know the answer. It’s no. Let’s them carry on their narrative. Me? I’m going to be joyful, free, and unbothered."

Who is Tiara Mack?

Tiara is an educator and activist raised in the south (North of Atlanta and Columbia, SC). The 28-year-old Black lesbian from the South moved to Providence to attend Brown University in 2012 and fell in love with the city. She started her journey in education teaching sex-ed in Providence schools as an undergraduate. After her first year teaching, she interned in Public Policy and Advocacy at Planned Parenthood and the Women's Health & Education Fund of Rhode Island, organizations that support reproductive health and abortion access. She had unseated the longtime incumbent, Harold Metts, a Democrat who opposed abortion and had served in the state Legislature since 1985.

In 2019, she testified alongside other women on behalf of the Reproductive Privacy Act, legislation that codified Roe vs Wade into Rhode Island law.