diff --git a/drivers/base/class.c b/drivers/base/class.c
index 68a6f9b56d19..a8a1bf976290 100644
--- a/drivers/base/class.c
+++ b/drivers/base/class.c
@@ -634,6 +634,31 @@ void class_compat_remove_link(struct class_compat *cls, struct device *dev,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(class_compat_remove_link);
 
+/**
+ * class_is_registered - determine if at this moment in time, a class is
+ *			 registered in the driver core or not.
+ * @class: the class to check
+ *
+ * Returns a boolean to state if the class is registered in the driver core
+ * or not.  Note that the value could switch right after this call is made,
+ * so only use this in places where you "know" it is safe to do so (usually
+ * to determine if the specific class has been registered yet or not).
+ *
+ * Be careful in using this.
+ */
+bool class_is_registered(const struct class *class)
+{
+	struct subsys_private *sp = class_to_subsys(class);
+	bool is_initialized = false;
+
+	if (sp) {
+		is_initialized = true;
+		subsys_put(sp);
+	}
+	return is_initialized;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(class_is_registered);
+
 int __init classes_init(void)
 {
 	class_kset = kset_create_and_add("class", NULL, NULL);
diff --git a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
index a895915affa5..1a9b21731cc9 100644
--- a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
+++ b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ int gpiod_export(struct gpio_desc *desc, bool direction_may_change)
 	int			offset;
 
 	/* can't export until sysfs is available ... */
-	if (!gpio_class.p) {
+	if (!class_is_registered(&gpio_class)) {
 		pr_debug("%s: called too early!\n", __func__);
 		return -ENOENT;
 	}
@@ -728,7 +728,7 @@ int gpiochip_sysfs_register(struct gpio_device *gdev)
 	 * register later, in gpiolib_sysfs_init() ... here we just
 	 * verify that _some_ field of gpio_class got initialized.
 	 */
-	if (!gpio_class.p)
+	if (!class_is_registered(&gpio_class))
 		return 0;
 
 	/*
diff --git a/include/linux/device/class.h b/include/linux/device/class.h
index b53728ca56fb..9cb5db0588c8 100644
--- a/include/linux/device/class.h
+++ b/include/linux/device/class.h
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ extern struct kobject *sysfs_dev_block_kobj;
 
 int __must_check class_register(struct class *class);
 void class_unregister(const struct class *class);
+bool class_is_registered(const struct class *class);
 
 struct class_compat;
 struct class_compat *class_compat_register(const char *name);