Gayle is a former Southern Baptist who left the faith 10 years ago when her then-teenagers began asking questions she could not answer. Her research led her (and her children) into the light of reason and rationality. Years later, she still feels the effects, both positive and negative, of that dramatic shift in perspective and attitude. It is this sympathy and compassion that drives her to reach out to help others navigate the emotional and physical process involved in leaving one’s faith.
Gayle is an attorney and former personal trainer. She lives on Freethought Farm in middle Tennessee, where she spends her days amongst her longhorns, goats, donkeys, chickens, and dogs. She is the executive director of Recovering from Religion, and blogs about life on the farm, endurance event training, and secularism at Happy. Healthy. Heathen.
Gayle ran for the TN State Senate in the 2016 cycle, and opted to run again when the seat became available in late 2017. She ran as an open atheist. The TN GOP, the TN Lt. Gov, and her opponent launched a vicious attack on religious liberty, blanketing the rural Tennessee district with horrific flyers mocking and demeaning Gayle’s atheism and position as Executive Director of Recovering from Religion. In addition, on one of the flyers, they lifted a picture from her FB page of her performing a gay wedding, with the identity of the men poorly concealed. One of the gentleman, a combat veteran, walked to his mailbox to discover the flyer mocking his wedding day, triggering his PTSD.