Two Men Shot Outside NYC Gay Dance

Details are sketchy so far, but local NYC news is reporting that two men were shot at 4:30am this morning outside Chelsea's M2 Ultralounge, which is hosting the annual post-Black Party event Alegria Extreme. One man was shot in the foot and the other was shot in the leg as both patrons stood in the club's outside smoking area. The men were taken the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police have not made an arrest and did not speculate as to whether the shooting may have been a hate crime. On most nights, M2 hosts straight dance parties.

RELATED: The city's campaign to close M2 over smoking violations has not yet been resolved. The club went on trial last week,

NYC Moves Closer To Shuttering M2 Nightclub Over Smoking Violations

The New York Times reports today that the city is one step closer to shuttering the popular M2 Ultralounge nightclub over smoking law violations. The club is on trial this week. If the closure happens, it will be the first NYC business shut down because of smoking.

The Bloomberg administration is moving closer to shutting one of the largest and busiest nightclubs in the city, as part of an aggressive new strategy to revoke the operating licenses of clubs that health officials believe promote smoking. The nightclub, the M2 UltraLounge on West 28th Street in Manhattan, went on trial last week at a special administrative court that the city uses when it seeks to take away property. If the case against the club succeeds, it would be the first time the city had closed a business solely for flouting a ban on smoking. City officials have also moved to take several other clubs before the court, seeking to revoke their food and beverage licenses. It has been an open secret for years among the late-night set that there is a network of so-called smoke-easies throughout the city, from little neighborhood dives to glossy, exclusive boîtes, that let patrons smoke illegally.

Five nightclubs have already settled with the city and paid fines, an option not offered to M2 Ultralounge as it is considered to be the most blatant violator. The trial is expected to conclude on Thursday. If the club loses, it's not clear if it will be closed immediately. This Sunday it hosts Alegria Extreme, the tenth annual post-Black Party event that draws thousands of gay men.

NYC To Close Down Clubs Over Smoking

This week NYC announced plans to close down at least five clubs for violating the city's ban on indoor smoking. Included on the list of clubs to lose their liquor licenses is Chelsea's massive M2 Ultra Lounge (formerly Mansion, formerly Studio Mezmor, formerly Crobar), which is host to numerous gay dance parties including the popular Alegria circuit party events. M2 is arguably the largest Manhattan venue still holding regularly scheduled gay dance parties.

The Health Department is moving to shutter five A-list clubs after an undercover sting showed they let their high-flying clientele light up inside again and again. The velvet-rope violators include TheBox on the lower East Side and Chelsea's M2 Ultra Lounge, which just last week hosted Sean (Diddy) Combs' blowout bash for his son's 16th birthday, officials said. The clubs are scheduled to appear today before a city tribunal, where officials will try to yank their food and beverage permits - a fatal blow that would put the kibosh on alcohol sales. The move is by far the city's most aggressive attempt to crack down on bars and clubs that turn a not-so-blind eye when their customers crave a smoke.

According to investigators, M2 Ultra Lounge is the city's worst violator, with cigarettes even on sale in the club's restrooms.