Boys Reading Habits

There has been a lot of research done on what boys like or don't like to read.  I think it is interesting that boys like to read non-fiction, but also enjoy books that are escapist and humour.  It is also interesting that some boys consider reading as a female activity and will do what they have to in order to avoid reading.  I think that this is an important point because as boys enter middle and high school, they tend to care about how others perceive them and so will go to great lengths to avoid something that is not good for their self-image.  What needs to be done is to make reading appealing to everyone.  To be honest, I don't know how to accomplish this.
My experience with teen sections has been somewhat limited.  After the branch I was working at was renovated, we got a whole new teen section.  There was enough room for all the materials, including graphic novels, magazines, BCDs and books.  One of the best things was that we got a new non-fiction section.  However, since it was new, it was difficult to see the direction it was heading in.  The other thing that was good was that we also got enough room to make a display spot for the teen books.  This allowed for the books to show their covers.
On an interesting note, we got into a really heated discussion in our collection development class on the idea of what constitutes "reading".  I argued that science fiction and graphic novels count and that I don't care what people are reading so long as they are reading.  The other person argued that he doesn't believe that graphic novels should count as reading and that science fiction and fantasy are part of the urinal of literature (he really ticked off some of us to put it mildly).  The discussion then got onto the whole topic of freedom to read and intellectual freedom.  So, I have to ask, how do you feel about graphic novels, science fiction and fantasy and other denigrated genres (romance as an example).  One of my other profs mentioned that YA literature is considered a denigrated genre, not by her personally, but by others.  How do you think that YA literature got this reputation?