Bailey Anne Kennedy made history in June, when she became the first transgender woman, Asian-American woman, military officer’s wife and 31-year-old to take home the sparkly Miss Maryland USA tiara.

On Sunday, she’ll represent her home state at the Miss USA pageant. Here’s what you need to know about the competition.

The Miss USA pageant will air live on Sunday starting at 8 p.m.

The Miss USA pageant, where winners from each state and D.C. will come together to compete for the national crown, will unfold over two hours on Sunday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The Miss Teen USA pageant will take place on Thursday, with Maryland’s Sanjana Yendluri vying for the crown.

Both will air live on The CW; the Miss USA pageant starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday and the Miss Teen USA pageant at 8 p.m. Thursday.

More than a million viewers tuned in last year.

In April, The CW Network announced it was entering an “exclusive multi-year broadcast partnership” with the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, and said that last year’s broadcast of the Miss USA pageant was The CW’s top-ranking new special of 2023. Viewership peaked near the end of the broadcast, with more than 1.1 million viewers total, according to a news release.

“The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants have captivated audiences for decades with their unwavering commitment to making a positive impact in their communities,” Laylah Rose, president and CEO of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organization, said in the release.

Later, it was reported that The CW was “evaluating its relationship” with the pageants after two high-profile resignations.

Both of last year’s winners resigned, an unprecedented move.

The Miss USA organization faced controversy in May when the 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners both resigned. Noelia Voigt, the former 2023 Miss USA, described a “toxic work environment” in her internal resignation letter, The New York Times reported. The organization crowned a new Miss USA 2023 — Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz — in May.

Pageant rules have evolved over the years.

Trans women have been eligible to compete in the Miss USA pageant for more than a decade. The Miss USA website states that to qualify for the competition, an incoming contestant must “represent and warrant that you are a female (recognized medically and legally as a female in the United States).”

Last year, the Miss USA pageant did away with restrictions against women who are married, divorced or pregnant. It wasn’t until this year that adult women of any age — rather than just those 28 and younger — could compete in pageants associated with the Miss Universe Organization, once co-owned by former president Donald Trump.

Miss Maryland USA won’t be the first wife or trans woman to advance to the national stage.

In 2021, Miss Nevada USA winner Kataluna Enriquez became the first trans woman to compete for the Miss USA title. Last year, Miss Maine USA Juliana Morehouse was the first married woman to compete in the pageant.

The winner of the Miss USA crown will advance to compete for the title of Miss Universe later this year.

In 1957, Mary Leona Gage won the Miss USA pageant representing Maryland — only to quickly lose the crown when it was discovered that she was married with two children. Over a decade ago, Maryland’s Nana Meriwether became Miss USA 2012 as the competition’s runner-up, after the original winner, Olivia Culpo, went on to win the Miss Universe pageant.