Gender Treason, a series of portrait paintings by Kansas City based artist Ryan Wilks, chronicles his latest exhibition, which debuted at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center on July 1, 2016, and includes interviews with the artist's subjects, providing a rare glimpse into the lives of queer people living in the Midwest. In an effort to transcend sensationalized media stereotypes and portray a more honest perspective into queer existence, Wilks spent a year interviewing, and then painting, queer Kansas City residents.

The series, which focuses on twelve people who span...