Keyholders can be of any gender or sexuality, but most commonly, they tend to be heterosexual women who hold the keys to a chastity device worn on a penis. This is because long-term chastity device wear is only possible on penis-owning persons. Vulva-owner chastity devices need to be unlocked frequently for hygienic and comfort reasons.
The term keyholder is often shortened to the acronym KH.
More About Keyholder
Because a keyholder controls access to a chastity device, they also by extension control the genitals of their partner. The keyholder controls whether the person wearing the chastity device can achieve sexual gratification and may even have an impact on how and when they urinate and shower.
Many keyholders enjoy wearing the keys to the chastity device on a necklace. The visibility of the keys while hanging around one's neck reinforces the relationship between the keyholder and the wearer of the chastity device, reminding the submissive of the keyholder’s power.
Keyholders should respect the power they have and never abuse it. It’s important for keyholders to act within the boundaries established before the chastity device is put into place. These boundaries may include specifications about the length of time the keyholder will keep the keys and enforce chastity and whether the keyholder will make the submissive work for his or her freedom. Keyholders typically use the duration of their position to "train" their submissive to be a better and less selfish lover.