The political action committee of Equality Hawaii, dedicated to “advancing candidates that support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” released its general election endorsements Monday.

Not surprisingly, the litmus test is where a candidate stands on civil unions.

Endorsements were based on candidates’ support of LGBT issues “as indicated by their voting records and/or support of equality in responses to (Equality Hawaii Action Fund) through surveys and personal interviews,” equality Hawaii explains.

The endorsement guide names only two Republicans.

The two — House Reps. Cynthia Thielen and Barbara Marumoto — aren’t actually running in the general election. Both were re-elected in the Sept. 18 primary. But both voted for House Bill 444, the since-vetoed measure on Hawaii civil unions.

Maybe Equality Hawaii figures it’ll need those votes in the 2011 session, should civil unions legislation be re-introduced.

All the other candidates getting Equality Hawaii’s nod in partisan races are Democrats, including Daniel K. Inouye, Mazie Hirono, Colleen Hanabusa and Neil Abercrombie.

In nonpartisan contests, the only Hawaii Board of Education Candidate to win endorsement is Kim Coco Iwamoto, who is transgendered. Others are “under review.”

In fact, races for county seats on Maui and the Big Island are also “under review,” as are most Kauai seats and three of the four Honolulu City Council races. (Only Sesnita Moepono, running against Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo in District 6, won an endorsement.)

“In these races, no voting records were available and/or candidates did not respond to survey,” says the Equality Hawaii Action Fund, which adds that it is “still attempting to communicate with these candidates.”

Better hurry. Election day is just two weeks away, and the first absentee ballots have started showing up in mailboxes.

In related “news,” the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii on Monday released their own candidate endorsements.

The list is nearly identical to Equality Hawaii‘s, except that Republicans Marumoto and Thielen are nowhere to be found.

The GLBT Caucus also makes a point of singling out Democratic lawmakers who have voted against civil unions, including Sens. Mike Gabbard (father of Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo) and Donna Mercado Kim and House Reps. Cindy Evans (“except on 2nd reading”) Joe Souki (“except in committee”) and Ken Ito (“except on 2nd reading”).

The caucus also identifies candidates in some nonpartisan races who gave “supportive responses” in party surveys.

FYI: To see the endorsements of the Hawaii Christian Coalition, please read “God Bless These Candidates.”

It’s quite a different list.