The man who broke boundaries two years ago when he and his partner became the first gay couple in the Spanish military to marry is set to provoke new outrage with the publication of a raunchy calendar.The 2009 calendar includes images of gay men embracing on a church altar wearing nothing but dog collars, a transsexual crucifixion, and a naked angel striking a provocative pose in a cemetery.
Other pictures show naked men within military scenes, including one gay model wearing only chains photographed in front of an army tank.
Albert Marchena, 29, a private in the Spanish Air Force made headlines when in June 2006 he married a fellow private in the first same sex civil ceremony between military men in Spain.
The couple have since split up but Mr Marchena says he is determined to continue to fight for equality and challenge the conservative views of Spain's military and the Roman Catholic Church.
The Church vehemently opposed the 2004 law allowing same sex marriages brought in by the socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero.
Mr Marchena believes that none of the 24 images contained within his Arcoiris calendar should be considered 'blasphemous'.
"I'm promoting tolerance and equality and this is a way of showing that we can all be united in one place, in this case on the pages of a calendar," Mr Marchena told Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos.
"They are very artistic photos but I admit the Church won't appreciate them," he said.
His activism has also angered the military authorities who would rather he kept a low profile.
"There are a lot of gays in the military and I'm not afraid to say so even if it means I lose my job over it," he said. "I will continue to fight for equality."
Proceeds from sales of the 10 euro calendar, which will be unveiled on Thursday in a nightclub in Seville, will go to children's charities and those fighting to combat AIDS.
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(Source: TC)