Kentucky Gay Couple Allowed to File for Joint Bankruptcy

A federal bankruptcy court has granted a gay couple in Louisville, Ky., the right to file for bankruptcy together.

Bob Joles and Joey Lester wed in Buffalo, N.Y., in May. They have been fighting their home state to recognize their union, with little result. However, Joles and Lester became the first same-sex couple to legally file jointly for bankruptcy in June, and in July, a judge reaffirmed their joint filing.

According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the filing was accepted because the Obama Administration decided it would not longer contest similar filings by married same-sex couples, making them the first gay married couple to successfully file jointly for bankruptcy in their state.