( CNN ) -- There 's plenty of gay-rights news to celebrate this week : . -- On Monday , a federal judge threw out Oregon 's ban on same-sex marriages , writing that his decision was one in support of `` families committed to the common purpose of love , devotion and service to the greater community . '' -- On Tuesday , the same thing , more or less , happened in Pennsylvania , with a judge in that case writing that `` we are a better people than what these laws represent , and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history . '' ( I mean , wow , right ? ) -- And , for those would might say `` activist judges '' are behind all of this progress , please note that Gallup on Wednesday released data showing 55 % of Americans -- a greater percentage than ever shown in that group 's polling -- support same-sex marriage rights . So , in summary : The era of same-sex marriage is upon us ; even those who grimaced at NFL player Michael Sam 's boyfriend kiss probably can see that ; and , therefore , all 's well that ends well . Well , not so much . In the march toward marriage equality , the United States skipped over other rights that are more fundamental and perhaps more essential for LGBT people . Consider three facts : . 1 . It 's legal for employers to fire gay and lesbian people because of their sexual orientation in not one or two fringe states but in 29 of them , according to the Human Rights Campaign , a gay rights advocacy group that tracks these things . That 's a majority of states where it 's legal to fire someone simply for being gay . `` It 's important to note that , while same-sex couples can legally marry today in Pennsylvania , they can actually be fired from their jobs for talking about their new spouses at work , '' Charlie Joughin , spokesman for HRC , wrote in an e-mail to me . Related : No one should be fired for being gay . 2 . Related to that , there also are 29 states where it 's legal for landlords to evict gay and lesbian residents simply because of their sexual orientation . That 's true not just of places such as Mississippi but also states with more progressive reputations , such as Pennsylvania and Michigan . 3 . Some states make it onerously difficult , if not impossible , for transgender people to legally change their names and update the gender that 's listed on their state ID or driver 's license . Maybe that sounds inconsequential , but consider going to the airport with an ID that does n't match who you are and having to explain your gender identity to a TSA agent . `` There are 15 ( states ) that we would give an F '' on these issues , said Harper Jean Tobin , director of policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality . Progress is coming but much too slowly in some cases . The first employment nondiscrimination laws were passed in East Lansing and Ann Arbor , Michigan , according to Michael Bronski 's `` A Queer History of the United States . '' The year was 1972 . A range of cities and corporations have come up with their own nondiscrimination policies and rules in the decades since , but state and federal movement has been sluggish . The Employment Nondiscrimination Act passed the U.S. Senate last year but has been a nonstarter in House , thanks to Speaker John Boehner . To be fair , there are campaigns from LGBT rights groups to put in place these basic protections . The Human Rights Campaign , for instance , started Project One America to `` dramatically expand LGBT equality in the South , '' including freedom from discrimination , which is rampant in that region . But it 's clear marriage equality has been the primary focus , for the public , activists and for the news media . There are some reasonable explanations for that . Some would argue , for instance , that campaigns for marriage equality have helped people realize gay and lesbian people are loving and family-oriented -- and that greater protections will follow that awakening . I hope that 's right , but it 's no sure thing . We 're starting to see ourselves in America as a beacon of progressiveness and opportunity for LGBT people . But we also need to acknowledge the reality -- which is that this also is a country where basic protections remain worryingly absent .
Michael Sam 's : The Pennsylvania lacks some very basic protections for LGBT people . He says good news on same-sex marriage should n't distract from that . Judges in Pennsylvania and U.S. Wednesday overturn marriage bans . Sutter : It 's still legal for employers in 15 states to fire people for being gay .