SMPTT

Comments sections on the websites that have the manga or anime you watch.

in college. a girl saw me drawing and started chatting me up. i admitted to liking slashing a certain anime (yuyu hakusho)

also, a co-worker. through our simple conversation which felt like we're tentatively checking each other's interest (or rather what kind of interest) in anime/games/manga are. we eventually found out our mutual interest in BL.

my end point is, it takes courage to approach someone you didn't know or get a conversation rolling for the sake knowing if you have the same interest but it's better than not knowing at all. the future fangirling moments together is worth it.

You can also find those people on a anime fan app like Anime Amino.

I do. I have friends who like manga/anime in general (actually japanese popculture in general), friends who have similar tastes (excluding yaoi), and even friends who also like yaoi!
I met them like I meet most my friends. They were classmates (most of them from the same japanese class, but not all), or a friend of some friend of mine (there were some who were introduced precisely with that as an introduction xD). Some I met in japanese culture/ anime conventions.

For years I met people online who shared interests in anime or manga, mainly in forums for anime. I met some people from the internet in real life as well. Of course that is dangerous, but I have one online friend from my city who always gives me rides and discusses about new anime with me.

Also, conventions are good places to find friends who share the same interest. A long time ago, conventions in my city were very small (now, they are non-existant haha) and whenever I saw someone doing something that picked my interest, I'd shyly approach. Of course, it requires a lot more tact to approach people in conventions, especially because you will find every type of people: from super-duper-friendly to borderline sociopaths, but that's the same even with school mates or work mates. These people, btw, the ones from the conventions, are my friends to this date, like... 9 years of friendship. People from school, pft, don't even know their names anymore.

I've met people with the same interests in the most unusual places: in college, in buses, in a art workshop. Thing is, like Takame said, it takes courage to talk to these people. Now, I have a small group with friends who share my interest in yaoi and we all squeal together whenever there's a 19 days update. I also have friends who casually watch anime and like recommendations, or give recommendations. They're everywhere, you just have to reach for them! (≧∀≦)

Theres like 1 person in RL that I can talk to about anime and he knows that I am kinda into yaoi but the the extent of it....... he knows I watch super lovers! but he doesnt judge me I know like 1-2 other people in RL life who watch anime and stuff but they wont really talk to me