Starting to grow, and i'd love some help!

Hey, i'm just starting into all of this really, and just starting on this website, i think it's really neat to have such a huge group of people all joined by one thing? if this can unite so many people why cant they just legalize it everywhere? To my questions. I was wondering a few things. First i was reading that male plants are bad and that female plants are good, i'm just getting some seeds from a friend, and i'm planning on growing outdoors, is there any way i can tell the difference between a male and female plant? My second question is would someone be able to explain to me how to dry and cure it so it's ready to go? i really appreciate any kind of input.