Draya Michele -- She May Be Victim of Smear Campaign

Draya Michele just got sued by a club that had claimed she cancelled a gig because there were too many gay people ... but there's now evidence she may be the victim of a smear campaign.

TMZ broke the story ... a VIP hostess at Penthouse nightclub claimed Draya showed up for a scheduled event August 10, surveyed the crowd and then homophobically groused there were too many "f**s" and "d**es." The hostess said Draya stormed out, making the night a disaster.

But in the club's lawsuit ... there is not a word mentioned about homophobic comments. In fact ... the lawsuit doesn't even say Draya showed up. It says they got a text from her saying she was too tired to show.

The story in the lawsuit syncs up with the one Draya told us ... that she never showed up because she was sick. She also told us the club owner threatened to trash her in the media for being a no show.

The question ... did the owner make good on his threat?