Mr. Barrios was born and raised in Victoria, Texas. He started working for the local newspaper at the age of 16, writing book reviews. He was drafted into the military, trained as a medic and stationed in Austin, where he attended UT. He later became politicized and joined SDS, involved in anti-war activism. After graduating from college, he taught high school level English in San Antonio and later moved to Crystal City to support the 1969 walkout, eventually staying as a teacher. He wrote several plays that touched upon to Chicano/a identity and politics. Throughout the interview, Mr. Barrios discussed sexism in the Chicano movement, and the exclusion of LGBT Chicanos/as.