Discriminatory hiring against obese?

I'm in HR and my company is hiring an IT person. I'm in charge of recruiting. I screened a qualified person in the pay range. He came in for an interview today. I met him and he's obese. The IT manager and the General Manager met with him and I met with the IT manager afterwards and he said that he was concerned about his 'physical limitations'. It's an IT position! 

I don't know if it's my obese background coloring my view or not but I was not happy. I discussed it with my manager to tell her I was concerned about being discriminatory in our hiring practices and she was like well they have to lift computer towers and crawl under desks, etc. 

Yeah I feel like that's a load of crap. I don't see how the guy I saw wouldn't be able to do that. It's not like the IT team runs marathons or something. I just think it's ridiculous and they're grasping at straws here. I won't be able to get around the issue because what the IT Manager says goes on this position but am I crazy on this??

No, I think this happens a lot.  One of the last "acceptable" discriminations.

I think it happens quite a lot too.

Our IT guy weighs about 350 - 375. He's done it all around here including working in a 100 degree warehouse lifting all sorts of weight. I think they are discriminating.

I understand socially about your concerns on this matter.  However like it or not obesity is not a protected class at any of the organizations I've looked at.  I work at a university and they normally have some of the most liberal and all-encompassing policies you can find.  So it's not nice, it's not kind, and it doesn't really make a lot of sense but it's not illegal.  More than likely it's not even his weight that's the total issue but it's the other terrible thing people think about overweight people playing a role here too, such as fat people are stupid and lazy.  Is it possible that some sensitivity training be made available about some title nine topics (which are covered under non-discrimination) and add in topics such as discrimination based on things like weight?

I think obesity is protected as a class cuz obesity is classified as a disease, so not hiring him would be like discriminating against people with diseases? I'm not too sure.

no you are not crazy but totally correct.

I've felt and seen the difference with me here at work... but to their credit, they did hire me when I was about 230lbs... I'm just treated differently now. Maybe I'm more outgoing, this I think it probably also a truth that adds into the equation.

It sucks. And I wi**** could be addressed on a higher level to make it not so.

Edited to add*** 

I did find out after I was hired that the dude that was my boss for all of 10 days before he got fired, was a skirt chaser, and apparently hired only really young cute girls... so they had the President's assistant sit in on my first web-interview, and she approved me. I guess I actually got the job BECAUSE I was fat and old! 

I kind of had blocked how that made me feel when I started hearing stories about that guy that got fired... 

I think you are 100% right -- and it sucks.

It's discrimination and it suxks that being in HR we're still powerless to keep the it from happening. Really, our role becomes one where we have to protect the company from potential litigation from those crap decisions.

I  mentioned recently that my brother was a victim of Blatant  obesity discrimination in a job interview. He just won his lawsuit. I couldn't be happier for him.