I read the Patterson book, as I also indicated a few minutes ago on the other comment thread. Thank you for the recommendation.

I suppose there are many essays to be written about the Gnostic rejection of body in favor of consciousness (dualism) compared/contrasted with the modern transphobic rejection of consciousness in favor of body (the reverse dualism). Personally, I thought this was my essay on that topic! :) I'm not sure I have an expanded essay within me, unless I were simply to find a hundred examples of transphobes doing it. But perhaps you have a related thesis to write to? I'd be curious.